AMHERST, Va. (WDBJ) – It’s been one year since a Lynchburg woman was found dead in Amherst County.
This was after Avriel Hooks’ family reported her missing just days before. Her estranged husband Michael Perry III is behind bars in connection with the murder.
Now, her mother Ashley Pittman is reflecting on the heartache.
Pittman last saw her daughter, Avriel Hooks, alive on August 22, 2023. Pittman drove Hooks and her grandson home, unaware that it would be the last time she would see them.
The next day, Pittman received a missed call and a troubling message from her daughter that felt out of character.
“When I got to work and saw the missed call and the message from her, I didn’t like the way the message was spelled or worded. It just wasn’t her,” Pittman recalls.
Pittman immediately went to check on Hooks and her grandson.
“As I crossed that intersection, a feeling came over me that I can’t describe, but anyone that’s ever felt it knows it,” said Pittman. “And I just knew she wasn’t going to be there.”
August 23, 2023 Pittman reported her daughter missing, setting off a search that captivated the community.
August 29, a prayer vigil was held at Pittman’s home, and hours later, Hooks’ body was found in Amherst County.
“I knew that we would be trying to recover a body,” Pittman reflects. “It’s just when you go through it, you feel it. And I tried to ignore it, I tried to be positive, I tried to believe other people.”
Michael Perry III, Hooks’ estranged husband and father of her child, has been charged with aggravated murder in connection with her death. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.
“Avriel had many talks with me through the violence. And I know how bad she wanted to work it out. If it was meant to be, she really wanted it,” Pittman says.
Pittman says Hooks was always her wild child. She lived fearlessly but was also kind and loving. Especially after becoming a mother.
“She gave him everything she had,” Pittman reflects. “She was the best mother I’ve ever seen.”
Pittman says her focus is now on her grandson and making sure he has everything he needs.
Perry III jury trial is set to begin September 30th.
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